Painting Flowers
by Valkyriye
Summary: I run a blog on tumblr called Texting All Titans, and I thought I'd put the fanfictions that people had requested me to write here. These are all really short drabbles and will contain various pairings depending on what people request on that blog.
1. Calm My Rage

There was a knock on my door as I let myself settle back onto my bed. I had been trying to meditate after another slip of my rage in battle today. I don't know about everyone else, but I wasn't fond of four glowing red eyes. Standing, I wrapped my cloak protectively around my body as I walked to the door, opening it a select few inches. I had expected to find Starfire wishing to "partake in the painting of nails to calm your inner anger," or Beast Boy wanting me to referee another game of Stankball. I was surprised to look up and see the smiling face of Cyborg.

"Hey, mind if I come in?" He asked me cheerily. His smile was so bright it was kind of frightening. I knew he wasn't happy, he knew I knew he wasn't happy. I gave a small glare before closing the door, proceeding to stalk back to my bed. "Or you can come out here to talk, you know!" His muffled voice sounded through the door. I sighed, knowing how his patience wasn't something that could be waited through. I opened the door, stepping out before it closed behind me. "What do you need?" I asked calmly, my face expressionless.

Cyborg seemed nervous as he ran a hand over his head. "Well, I wanted to know if there was any way I could help." He said anxiously. I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't need _help_. This was _my_ problem and I could handle it on my own.

I started to turn for my room when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw desperation in his eyes. "Please, Rae." He said pleadingly. "I know this.. rage.. inside you is hard to understand. Heck, I may never understand half of these things you need to go through every day. But I do understand that this rage hurts you and I want to help you."

His speech was.. touching, to say the least. It was lifting that he cared that much. "My rage can't be calmed, Cyborg." I said softly. "It's always been a part of me and it always will be." There wasn't anything I could do about my rage. Even without Trigon's influence, it'd still be there.

"Can it be controlled?" Cyborg asked gently. I sighed before walking into my room. I didn't close the door right away.

"That's what I've been trying to do." I said, turning to him. "If there's anything I can think of that can help me control my rage, I'll tell you, okay?" I knew a promise to do that would help him calm down. He was genuinely worried. It was soothing to know he was worried for me.

"A'ight, Rae." He grinned as he backed from the door. "See ya for dinner." He turned and walked down the hallway after I nodded, turning and closing the door behind me.

It was easier to meditate after that, knowing he was ready to help me with what was inevitably the worst part of me.


	2. Doubts

"Raven, please?"

"Why is it important?"

I had been trying to convince Raven to let us go public with our relationship. I had no idea why she had wanted to hide it in the first place, but for the first month I respected that. It wasn't a big deal until I started to actually think about it. Why was she hiding it, anyway? The only reason I could think of.. she was embarrassed. "Raven, are you ashamed of me?" I asked her softly.

Her eyes widened and she adopted an expression of shock. It wasn't a very obvious expression, not with her. But having lived with her these past few years, it was easy for me to pick up on the minuscule changes. "I would _never_ be ashamed of you." She said softly.

I ground my teeth. "Then why can't we at least tell our _teammates_ about us?" I demanded. It was ripping me apart having to pretend to have that childish rivalry when I really just wanted to hold her hand and smile at her.

She sighed lightly. "Alright, we can tell them." She smiled, looking me in the eyes. "If it makes you happy, I'd tell the world."

* * *

"You two?" Cyborg was the first to speak after we told them about our relationship. "Oh, that's rich! For once you played a good prank, grass stain! And getting Rae in on it? Woo, that's priceless!" He was laughing up a storm, but I didn't join him.

"It's not a joke, Cy." I said, and his laughing ceased. His eyes darted from Raven to me and back to Raven.

Starfire was suddenly wrapping the two of us in a bone crushing hug. "Oh, I am very happy for the two of you!" She spoke cheerily. "I shall make the traditional Tamaranean food of celebration!" I tried to tell her not to, but she was already in the kitchen, putting who knows what into a pan.

Robin stepped forward, a look of seriousness on his face. "Are you two sure about this?" He questioned. "What if one of you got kidnapped? It's risky to have relations in this kind of business. Did you really think this through?"

I was about to answer when Raven interrupted me. "We thought about this, Robin." She said softly, taking my hand in hers. "There's something about him that makes me pissed off, makes me want to rip my hair out. But at the same time, I can't bear to see him hurt. He's someone I want to be with forever, because he makes me see the best things in me. He makes me forget about Trigon, about my rage, about what I was destined to do. He makes me feel complete. It's a feeling that I don't want to live without. I absolutely love him. There's nothing else to it."

I felt a blush rising in my cheeks. She'd never said she loved me. I felt like I was on cloud nine as she squeezed my hand. I was really lucky, and really stupid to think she was ashamed. I can't believe she fell for me, but it happened and it's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me.


	3. Spell Gone Wrong?

Needless to say, the spell was a failure.

Raven had been practicing a few new spells, asking Starfire to help by being the test subject. She didn't really know what went wrong, maybe she didn't pronounce something right or read the wrong line or used the wrong ingredients, but the spell that was supposed to let you see your soulmate had gone terribly wrong. It had backfired, badly.

Raven had concluded that the spell on them had made them fall helplessly in love with the first male they see. Unbeknownst to this, they walked into the Common Room and Starfire's eyes first fell on Robin cooking, whilst Raven's fell on Beast Boy and his stereo making a racket.

Now, Raven was sitting next to Beast Boy playing a video game because that's what he had asked, and Starfire was trying desperately to help Robin cook in an effort to get closer to him. "Starfire, that's not oregano!" Robin had yelled in a fruitless effort to keep her Tamaranean concoction away from the pasta sauce.

"Raven.." Beast Boy had growled as the TV blared a huge "GAME OVER" sign. "You have to pres then swish the left control stick up down left left up!" Raven had been staring at him as he explained the mechanics of the game, not really hearing him. When the white noise that she called his voice died down, she grinned widely at him.

Beast Boy was thoroughly confused. "Raven, are you.. smiling? At me?" He wore an expression of shock. The girl before him didn't really smile. In fact, it seemed like she didn't do much but meditate. But here she was, smiling brightly at him, and it was.. beautiful. Beast Boy gulped, tugging on his collar as he stood, making an effort to cool down an oncoming blush. "H-Hey, Robin! We needta talk!" He nonchalantly walked to the kitchen and grabbed Robin by his cape, pulling him out of the Common Room.

"Uh, Beast Boy, you have any idea what's with Starfire?" Robin asked as soon as they made it to the hallway. "She's.. clingier than usual."

Beast Boy simply shook his head. "Raven's smiling. She's. Smiling. At me!" Despite his panic, he was genuinely happy. He had been admiring the empath from afar for the longest time.

"I smell something odd." Robin said randomly, pointing toward the direction of Raven's room. Within seconds, he put two and two together. "Raven must've been testing a new spell and it went wrong." He told Beast Boy.

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, you need to go get Raven and fix this." He scratched the back of his head in exasperation. "She doesn't seem to even be listening to me when I talk."

"How is that different from usual?"

"You're cruel, dude."

* * *

Beast Boy went to his room until the girls were spell-free. Robin ran into the Common Room, grabbed Raven by her hood, and pulled her into to her room. "H-Hey, what do you think you're doing?" She had protested.

Starfire watched the scene, a ball of jealousy knotting in her stomach.

Robin pointed at the spell book that was still on Raven's floor. "You're under some kind of spell. Can you fix this?"

Raven blinked a few times before realizing that he knew about the spell. She nodded, flipping the pages until she found a reversal. "Get Starfire." She told Robin.

Robin shook his head. "You're gonna have to do tha-"

The door flew open and a very angry Starfire stood behind it. "Robin!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing dragging her into her room? Why are you two alone in here?" Her questions rambled on and on but fell on deaf ears.

"Starfire!" Raven growled, quickly grabbing the alien's attention, which Robin used as an opportunity to escape the room. "Let him go, Starfire!" Raven's patience was wearing thin as the alien tried to leave the room, only to be met with a burst of black energy keeping her in. "We need to reverse this spell."

* * *

The next day, Raven was flipping through her spell book. That absurd spell had been reversed, and the girls were no longer drooling over Beast Boy and Robin. She fingered the pages, lazily drinking some tea as she came across the spell she had messed up on. Reading further down the page, she saw another spell that was very similar to the one she had been attempting to cast. It read, "With this spell, you will fall in love with your soul mate in the next instant that you see them."


	4. Stuck Like Glue

"Beast Boy, why the hell are you on the table?"

"IwasjustgoingtosithereforaminutethengetdownbutIcan'tmove!"

I let my hand meet my face as I stood in awestruck at the sheer stupidity I was observing. _This_ is what I was dating. Sighing, I walked to him and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him from the table. Except.. he didn't move. So he wasn't lying. But what..

Cyborg.

"Ihavenoideawhat'sgoingonI'msosorryRaepleasehelpme!" Beast Boy all but yelled. Normally, I'd walk away and let him wallow in his pity, but.. then again.. he couldn't move.

I felt a primal instinct take over as I grabbed his shoulders gently, leaning in close with half-lidded eyes. "So you can't move at _all_?" I asked with a sultry undertone. This wasn't something I'd normally do. I heard a light break, but it sounded very distant and I paid no mind. It seemed like Beast Boy didn't pay any mind, either. He shook his head, a very dark blush creeping onto his face.

Smiling like a predator closing in on it's prey, I leaned close so that our lips were mere centimeters apart. I could feel his breath on my lips as he leaned forward a bit.. but I moved back _just_ out his range of motion. I saw him adopt a pout on his face as I giggled at his misfortune. "Come on, Rae, you can't just tease me like this!"

This just caused me to laugh harder. It's been a while since I laughed like this. "What are the magic words?" I asked like a parent would tease their child. This was fun. A lot of fun. I shouldn't be having this much fun teasing my boyfriend.

He looked cute with that pout. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos?" I chuckled lightly as he gave me a look of desperation, one that I knew was not only for his desire to be unstuck from the table. I pushed his shoulder back gently, dragging my knees to either side of his hips and carefully sitting on his knees. It felt weird, but I simply ignored it. I could practically hear his heartbeat.

I leaned forward and captured his lips, hearing a sigh from the other as I wrapped my arms around his neck. It was slow and I could feel every move, every breath. I pulled him closer and I felt him push harder against my lips. I felt his teeth gently nipping at my lower lip.

He wasn't usually one to bite me. He was always worried about his sharp canines hurting me, but he was being so gently that I could barely tell that he was using one of his canines. I sighed, and he took the opportunity to let his tongue wander into my mouth. It was an odd feeling, but one I never tired of. I let my hand run through his hair, hearing another light break but not paying any attention to it.

I tried to move away from him, but I found my knees stuck. So it wasn't just Beast Boy that Cyborg had sticky glued.. it was the table. "Beast Boy.. I'm stuck."

And I was stuck in a position that look very similar to that of a cowgirl on a horse.

Great.

Cyborg's so dead.


	5. Star-Crossed

_"I think forever is an incorrect concept," I answered._

_He smirked. "You're an incorrect concept."_

_"I know. That's why I'm being taken out of the rotation."_

_"That's not funny," he said, looking at the street. Two girls passed on a bike, one riding sidesaddle over the back wheel._

_"Come on," I said. "That was a joke."_

_"The thought of you being removed from the rotation is not funny to me," he said. "Seriously, though: afterlife?"_

Raven was deeply engrossed in her book. She wasn't usually one to read romances, but The Fault In Our Stars was always an exception. It portrayed love perfectly: great for a while, then it ends. It was the truth in her mind. To her, love was an ethereal thing, something tangible only in books. Though, most books made it to be something that would last, something that one can just stumble upon, and something that worked out every time. That's why she loved The Fault In Our Stars. It ended. It didn't leave you with, "And they lived happily ever after." It was real.

* * *

It was nine in the morning, and even Beast Boy was awake before Raven. "Can someone go check on Raven?" Robin asked the room of teenagers. Raven was usually up way before now, and he was getting worried.

"Yeah, dude, I got it," Beast Boy said groggily. He stood from the couch lazily, teetering left and right before standing up straight. He rubbed his eyes a few times before stumbling towards the door to their individual rooms. He couldn't really think this early. Scratch that, he could never really think. He blindly exited the common room, turning on instinct towards the direction of their resident sorceress.

Being as tired as he was, he didn't notice said sorceress walking down the hallway towards him, her head buried in a book. She hadn't noticed the changeling, either. As fate would have it, she looked up from her book in the instant that the heroes collided. The shock of the impact caused Beast Boy to jerk his head forward, result in their lips touching. In that moment, several lights in the hallway broke as neither heroes moved.

Raven was the first to break away, her usually pale face shining a light pink as she dropped her book. Beast Boy blinked in shock as he tried to piece the situation together. Before he could apologize, the demoness had quickly pulled her hood up and phased through the floor in an attempt to get away from the green teen.

As Beast Boy stood in the hallway, he heard footsteps behind him, turning to see Robin. "Hey, did you check on her yet?"

Beast Boy gritted his teeth. What should he say? "Ahh," he stalled. "She, uh, she said she wasn't feeling too good, so she, ah, she's still in bed for a bit!"

"Oh, I should make sure it's not anything serious."

"No!" Beast Boy yelled, but quickly recomposed himself. "That's not necessary! She said it was just a stomach ache."

Robin hesitated, but nodded, accepting the changeling's story. He turned on his heel and walked back to the common room, leaving a flustered Beast Boy in the hallway. He was about to walk away when he saw that Raven had dropped her book. He picked it up, looking it over, seeing the chalk-like handwriting on the front that crudely read, "The Fault In Our Stars." He decided that he would look through it a bit. Not read it all the way through, of course. That would just be silly.

* * *

Raven had phased her way out of the building. She let herself land on the rocky edge of the island she called home. _That's not love. That was a fluke. He made you nervous. That's why your heart is racing. It was embarrassing. That's why your face is red. He looked as though he enjoyed it. That's why you ran away._ She continued these thoughts as she skipped stones into the water, not really paying attention to how many skips they did.

It wasn't long before she tired of trying to persuade herself against what she knew was true. She was interested in Beast Boy. Why, she didn't really know. Maybe it was his smile, the way he could distract her from anything, how he seemed to care no matter what.. It's dangerous, she told herself. Love is dangerous. Emotion is dangerous. This isn't a romance novel. This isn't The Fault In Our Stars. I'm not Hazel. He's not Augustus. We aren't in Amsterdam. It's not just unreasonable, it's impossible.

* * *

Beast Boy had been flipping through the pages of Raven's book, attempting to rid his mind of what had happened in the hallway. He hadn't expected to find Raven reading romance.

_"You get to battle cancer," I said. "That is your battle. And you'll keep fighting." I told him. I hated it when people tried to build me up to prepare for battle, but I did it to him, anyway. "You'll... live your best life today. This is your war now." I despised myself for the cheesy sentiment, but what else did I have?_

_"Some war," he said dismissively. "What am I at war with? My cancer. And what is my cancer? My cancer is me. The tumors are made of me. They're made of me as surely as my brain and my heart are made of me. It is a civil war, Hazel Grace, with a predetermined winner."_

From the excerpts he had read, Beast Boy could tell this wasn't going to end well. As he continued reading, he couldn't help but think of him and Raven instead of Hazel and Gus. Except he knew that he wasn't like Gus. He wasn't clever or thoughtful like Gus. Is this the kind of guy Raven likes?

He hoped it wasn't for the sheer fact that he wasn't that kind of guy. Beast Boy hated it, but he really like Raven. He annoyed her, he pushed her to her limits, and because of that he was sure that she hated him. He didn't understand why he pushed her so far if what he wanted was her so close.

Beast Boy was still hung on the accidental kiss. He knew she didn't enjoy it. She ran away, didn't she? Sighing, he closed the book and took a deep breath. He had to return the book. Then he'd apologize and everything would be back to normal.

Determined, he strode to the door to exit his room. He strutted down the hallway, giving off a confident vibe that he didn't feel. Before he could reach Raven's room, he found Cyborg walking in his direction. "Hey, green bean!" The robot greeted. "Have ya seen Rae? She isn't in her room."

Beast Boy blinked. Well, there goes that plan. "Ah, no dude haven't seen her since I checked on her this morning."

"She shouldn't be out of bed if she's feeling bad." Cyborg noticed the book in Beast Boy's hand. "Hey, _you're_ reading?"

Beast Boy gritted his teeth and hid the book behind his back. "N-No! Raven dropped it earlier so I'm returning it!"

"So you saw her after this morning?"

"What! No! Not what I meant, dude!"

"What are you hiding, man?"

"Nothing!" Beast Boy grinned and took off running down the hall, determined to find Raven.

"Grass stain, get back here!" Cyborg's voice called, but Beast Boy could tell he wasn't giving chase.

* * *

Raven sighed. It had been about a few hours that she was sitting out here, so she decided to head back inside before anyone worried. As she turned, she saw a green hero running to her with a blue book in his hand. "Raven!" He called, skidding to a halt in front of her as he caught his breath. "Y-You dropped your book."

Raven blinked. "Thanks." She took the book and started to walk around the changeling.

"W-Wait!" Beast Boy called. Raven stopped and turned her head slightly towards him. "T-This morning, did that-"

"No." Raven said monotonously.

Beast Boy's ears fell and he adopted a look of sadness. "I'm sorry about it."

"It's fine."

"So we're okay?"

"Yeah."

Beast Boy grinned. It was a start. He'd be Raven's Gus eventually.


	6. Killing Loneliness

I entered my room, ready to fall on my bed and sleep for a week. That's not usually something that I would say. It was more reminiscent of Beast Boy, actually. I guess defeating a transdimensional demon who wasn't exactly nominated as Best Dad of the Year can do that to a guy. Though, the one who truly defeated him was Raven. I think she deserves sleep more than any of us, but I knew she wouldn't be. She's probably reading, or meditating. Something besides sleeping.

As I was about to remove my mask, I heard a knock on my door. I stood, though shakily, and let the door open. I saw the sorceress standing there, now back in her blue leotard with her hood pulled up. "Can I stay in here for the night?" She asked simply. I cocked an eyebrow, but stepped aside for her to enter, anyway. I watched her look around my room for a minute before pulling an extra blanket from my closet. She laid it on the floor near my bed and sat on it, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. I saw that she tried to meditate, but she wasn't levitating.

"You alright, Raven?" I asked her, concern lacing my voice. I closed the door and sat near the blanket she laid out. She opened her eyes and judging by the way they were lidded, I assumed just how tired she was.

"I was lonely in my room." She said simply. "I would have asked Starfire, but.." she trailed, and I understood. Starfire would ask her questions, try to get her to participate in something girly. She'd never get the rest she needs.

"Well, you're welcome in here." I said, smiling at her. "You should take my bed, I'll sleep here." I saw her eyes narrow and I knew she was going to object. "Don't even think about saying no. You need a good night's rest."

She must have seen how adamant I was about this, so she simply nodded, standing to sit on the bed instead of the floor. "Thanks, Robin." She murmured.

"Don't even mention it." I said, walking to turn off the light. Once they were off, I navigated my way back to the blanket on the floor and heard her rustle under my covers. Once I was laid on the ground, I grinned. "Good night, Raven."

"Good night, Robin."


	7. Homesick

It wasn't like Beast Boy to sulk. Beast Boy never sulked. He wallowed in pity, he cried openly, but he didn't sulk. Raven could feel the sadness pouring off of him like sweat after a ten mile run. She tried to think of the previous day, about if something could have set him off. Unfortunately, yesterday wasn't anything out of the ordinary, at least as far as the dark sorceress could tell.

So why was the changeling sulking? Raven resolved to find out, lest his emotions affect her abilities. She walked to the green teen, who was sitting on the edge of their couch with a stoic expression that looked almost laughable on the changeling so known for jokes and humor. Raven tapped his shoulder, causing him to jerk away without even looking at her. Narrowing her eyes, she roughly grabbed his forearm and attempted to drag him out of the common room. She managed to get the struggling changeling half way to the door before he transformed into a small fly to escape her grip.

Feeling an anger rise in her, Raven encased the fly in a void of black. As she resisted the urge to crush her teammate then and there, she left the common room with a green fly in tow. She navigated the hallways until she reached the roof, which is when she released the changeling, who promptly returned to his human form. He gave Raven an angry look before stepping mere inches from her and yelling in a way that reminded her of when he had become the Beast. "What's your issue?"

Raven kept a stoic face. "I don't have an issue," she started with her monotonous voice. "do you?"

Beast Boy's ears dropped, his face adopting one of a sad child. Raven immediately regretted saying that. She could've gone about it in a more thoughtful way, but the deed was done, and she couldn't let him go. "What's wrong?" She didn't ask it like it was a question, because she had to get the changeling to understand that he couldn't escape her.

Understand, he did. "Today's the anniversary of my parent's death." he murmured, head dropped.

Raven, though she didn't show it, was shocked. She hadn't thought much of Beast Boy's backstory. Understanding the significance of the day, Raven embraced the changeling.

Though shocked, Beast Boy reciprocated, feeling his emotions boil over into tears that streaked Raven's cloak. He could tell that she didn't need any more explanation. So he cried. He didn't know how long he cried, but Raven didn't let go once.

When he was done, Raven pulled back slightly. "Want some tofu burgers?"

Beast Boy nodded, and they walked inside the Tower together. Beast Boy didn't want to explain what happened that fateful day years ago when he had lost his parents, and Raven never asked.


	8. Through Glass

_"Hello, Hazel. I'm Alison, your nurse," she said._

_"Hello, Alison My Nurse," I said._

_Whereupon I started to feel pretty tired again. But I woke up a bit when my parents came in, crying and kissing my face repeatedly, and I reached up for them and tried to squeeze, but my everything hurt when I squeezed, and my Mom and Dad told me that I did not have a brain tumor, but that my headache was caused by poor oxygenation, which was caused by my lungs swimming in fluid, a liter and a half (!) of which had been successfully drained from my chest, which was why I might feel-_

"Whatcha readin'?" A voice asked the sorceress, who was engrossed in her book. Looking up, Raven saw that it was Terra, who was sitting on a rock suspended in the air next to the roof of the tower. A smile graced the blonde's face as she stood to hop onto the roof next to the violet haired girl.

"The Fault in Our Stars." Raven answered simply. She turned the page as Terra sat next to her.

"What's it about?" The geomancer asked, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She turned her head towards her teammate before resting it on her legs.

"I can lend it to you, if you want." Raven had read the book countless times and didn't mind letting the blonde borrow it for a while.

Terra turned her head to the view of the ocean, a look of discomfort spreading across her face. "I, uh, don't think I can do that."

"It's no bother."

"I can't read."

Raven looked at the girl with a small expression of shock that faded quickly. "I couldn't read when I first came here, either." She remembered coming to Earth with only the knowledge of Azarathian. She had known a few English phrases, and had to spend much of her time learning the language before joining the Titans.

"So, can you tell me what that book's about?" Terra raised her eyebrows, turning back to the demoness. She was very curious about it. She hadn't heard a good story in a while.

Raven thought for a moment. "How about I read it to you?" Raven hadn't thought she'd ever offer anything along those lines, but she felt bad for Terra. Raven got so much enjoyment from reading. She hoped Terra would, too.

Terra nodded eagerly. "Sweet! Thanks, Rae!" She gave the dark girl a quick hug before running inside the tower out of excitement.

"Rae-ven." The sorceress scoffed lightly, knowing full well that Terra couldn't hear her.

* * *

Raven sat with her legs crossed levitating above her bed, the book sitting next to her. Her eyes were closed as she meditated, awaiting Terra's arrival. They had agreed to meet every night after dinner to read a few chapters. Hearing a small knock, Raven let herself fall to the bed, standing and walking slowly to the door. She opened it to see the blonde geomancer. The sorceress simply stepped aside for her teammate to enter, closing the door as she gestured for the girl to sit on her bed.

Terra plopped onto the bed ungracefully, laying herself down as she brought her hands behind her head. "Comfy bed!" She said simply.

Raven rolled her eyes and sat at the edge of the bed, opening the book to its first page. She looked at the blonde with an eyebrow raised. "Are you comfortable?"

It was a sarcastic question, but Terra didn't seem to pick up on that. "Yes!" Terra was smiling brightly.

Sighing, Raven began reading out loud.

_Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time thinking about death._

"Is this a book about you?" Terra asked bluntly. Raven turned her head at the girl slowly, a glare that could freeze Hot Spot on her face. Terra blushed in embarrassment and covered her mouth, muttering an apology.

Raven heaved a great sigh again, deciding to continue reading.

_Whenever you read a cancer booklet or website or whatever, they always list depression among the side effects of cancer. But, in fact, depression is not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of dying. (Cancer is also a side effect of dying. Almost everything is, really.) But my mom believed I required treatment, so she took me to see my Regular Doctor Jim, who agreed that I was veritably swimming in a paralyzing and totally clinical depression, and that therefore my meds should be adjusted and also I should attend a weekly Support Group._

"Can you explain that last bit?" Terra asked quietly.

Raven looked at the geomancer and back at the book. "The doctor agreed with her mother that she was very depressed and recommended adjustments to her medication and for her to visit a weekly group of others that have cancer."

Terra nodded. "Oh, okay," she whispered. "Continue."

The night went on much like that, Raven simply reading to Terra with some interruptions whenever Terra didn't understand something. It was nice, Raven could admit. She felt herself growing closer to the blonde, forming a deeper friendship than simply teammates. Yes, they weren't just teammates. They were really friends now.


End file.
